Electric switch



Nov. 29, 1932. F. on KUHN ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed March 25, 1929 INVENTOR.Jinn/z Q. Kafm BY A TTORNE Y.

Patented Nov. 29, 1932 PATENT OFFICE FRANK O. RUBIN, 01' SOUTH BEND,INDIANA.

ELECTRIC SWITCH Application. filed larch 25, 1929. Serial No. 349,761.

My invention relates to switches for lighting circuits and other usesfor which the same may be adapted, and has for its object to provide aswitch, preferably of the well known toggle type, associated with meanswhereby the circuit may be closed in the usual manner, but which, uponswitching of the button to off position for interrupting the circuit,will not immediately open the circuit,

but will set in motion means having a movin force established by ashifting of the switc button whereby to open the circuit and extinguishthe lights at a more or less delayed period following the shifting ofthe switch button to off position, whereby time is provided for theperson throwing off the switch to reach a more or less remote pointbefore the switch acts to extinguish the lights.

With the above. and other objects in View,

the inventionresides in the combination andarrangementbf parts ashereinafter set forth, shown in the drawing, described and claimed, itbeing understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the inventionmay be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

In thedrawin v Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the switch and controllingmechanism with portions of the frame removed to better show the parts ofthe device, the full line position being the on position; and the dottedline position being the off position.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device.

Fi ure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the evice showing theposition of the parts immediately after the switch button has been movedto off osition.

Figure 4 is a f ragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view of thedevice taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1, showingparts'of the switch in adposition.

Referring to the drawing, which shows my controlling device used inconjunction with a switch of the well known toggle type, the numeral 10designates a switch frame, with which are integrally formed the wallplates 11 and the opposite side members 19, between which side members19 a switch button 12 is pivotally secured by means of a pivot pin 13extending between the opposite sides 19 of the frame 10- and throng theplate 14 carried by the switch button at the back side thereof. Theplate 14 extends centrally of the switch and projects beyond the endsthereof at 15 and 16, for purposes to be hereinafter set forth, and fromthe projecting portion 16 extends a rearwardly extending.

arm 17 having two spaced fingers 18 formed at the end thereof. Each ofthe sides 19 of the frame extends rearwardly and has integrally'formedtherewith the spaced diverging arms 20. and 21, and between these diverging arms is disposed one end of a rectangular collar 22, the otherend of which collar is disposed in a recess 23 formed in the upper edgeof the'sides 19, so that the collar member loosely encircles theoppositely disposed arms 20, said recess 23 being located at a point atwhich the diverging edges of the. arms 20 and'21 would meet ifprojected. Within the collar member 22 and parallel to the sides of theframe is mounted a spring 24, one end of which is seated over aninwardly projecting stud 25 integrally formed with the collar member,and the other end of which is held between the fingers 18 of the arm 17.Mounted on the collar member 22 at one side thereof is an insulatedmember 25a which carries the switch contact members 26 which are adaptedto contact with the terminals 27 to close the circuit.

As shown in Figure 2, the side plates 19 of p the frame extendrearwardly below and beyond the arms 20 and 21, and carry studs andarbors which support means for controlling the operation of the switchhereinbefore described. Pivotall mounted on the stud 28 is a tubular memer 29, having one end 30 thereof compressed and provided with a slot 31through which the stud 28 extends, and in which it is free to move. Arod 32, having one end pivotally connected to the projecting portion orend 15 of the plate 14, extends into the tubular member 29, and has aplunger 33, fitting loosely in the tubular member, secured to the innerend thereof. A coil spring 34 is disposed in the tubular member aroundthe rod 32 and "has one end thereof bearing pressed end of the tubularmember, is adapted or engagement with the teeth of a gear wheel 38, themovement of which is governed by a spring controlled balance wheel 39 bymeans of a pallet 40, an escape wheel 41, and a pinion 42, whichescapement in structure and function is well known in the horologicalart. The gear wheel 38'has mounted on one side thereof the studs 43,which are spaced thereon equidistant from each other and from the centerof the gear wheel. Pivotally mounted on a stud 44 is a latch member 45whose lower end is adapted to be engaged by the studs 43 carried by thegear wheel 38 and to be pivoted thereby, and the head 46 of the latchmember is adapted to engage the angularly bent end 47 of the rectangularcollar 22. A spring 48, secured at one end to one of the side members 19of the switch frame and at the other end to the latching member abovethe pivotal point thereof, resists the pivotal movement of the latchingmember under the influence of the studs 43.

The switch is shown in on position in full lines in Figure 1, and in offposition in Figure 4, and, without the addition of my controlling means,is adapted to operate as follows: Upon upward movement of the switch"button 12 to dotted line position in Figure 1, the arm 17 is moveddownwardly, carrying one end of the spring 24 with it. The spring iscompressed by the downward movement of the arm 17 and when the end ofthe spring carried thereby has been moved downwardly to a point justbelow the other end of the sprin or below center, the spring willrecoil, orcing upwardly the other end of the spring, and with it therectangular collar 22 around of the spring is seated. When the switch isin on inclines. rearwardly and rests against the upper edges of the arms21, and when in off position rests against the loweredge's of 'the arms20, the switch contact members 26 being swung away from the switchterminals 27 to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1 u on movementof the collar 22 to off posltion. In turning the switch from ofliposition to on position, the button is moved ownwardly, thus moving oneend of the spring 24 upwardly, so that the spring will snap the collarinto down position as soon as the end of the spring carried by the arm17 reaches a oint above center, or above the other end of t e spring,all as and in the manner of the wellknown toggle type of switch.

With the addition of my controlling means, the operation of the switchis altered as follows: Upon upward movement of the the "stud 25 of whichthe other end position the rectangular collar 22 switch button from onto ofl? position, the spring 24 is compressed with the end thereofcarried by the arm 17 held below center, or lower than the other endthereof, but the collar 22 is prevented fromsnapping to ofi position bythe head 46 of the latching member 45 which engages the end 47 of thecollar. The rod 32, carried by the end 15 of the plate 14, is moved tothe dotted line position in Figure 1 against the action of the spring34, and compresses the same, which then pushes against the inwardly bentend of the tubular member 29 to force the tubular member forwardly to aposition shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. The speed of the forwardmovement of the tubular member is governed by the gear wheel 38, againstthe Y teeth of which the pawl 36 engages, and the speed of rotation ofwhich is governed by the escapementconnected therewith. The rotation ofthe gear wheel causes one of the studs 43 carried thereby to engage thelower end of the latching member 45 to trip the same after the elapse ofa given time as determined by the setting of the escapement, and thusreleases the collar 22, which, with the contacts 26 carried thereby,snaps to off position under the influence of the compressed spring 24.The tubular member 29, pawl 36, gear Wheel 38, studs 43 and latchingmember 45 are all so arranged with relation to each other that the gearwheel will continue to rotate after the latching member releases thecollar 22 until the lower end of the latching member is clear of thestud 43, thus permitting it to assume its normal vertical position under.the influence of the spring 48. It will thus be seen that theswitchbutton may be turned to off position, but that the circuit will not beinterrupted or broken until the elapse of agiven length oftimethereafter, thus, for instance, permitting a person operating thesame to leave the room before the lights controlled thereby areextinguished.

When the switch button is turned from 011' to on position, the switchoperates to close the circuit immediately and as follows: The buttonhaving been moved, the end of the spring 24 carried by the arm 17 ismoved upwardly past the center position, causing the collar 26 to bemoved downwardly, thus placing the contacts 26 in contact with theterminals 27. The end 47 of the collar 22 strikes the cam shaped upperedge of the head 46 of the latching member thus causing the same topivot against the action of the spring 48, which spring causes thelatching member to resume its normal vertical position when the collarhas reached on position. The upward and rearward movement of the end 15of the plate 14 moves the tubular member 29 to the full line positionshown in Figure 1 b means of the rod 32, the pawl 36 being rawnrearwardly over the teeth of the wheel 38 without moving the same. and

' energized by actuation of the switch button,

,- having a yielding connection with said butand an escapement governedmeans actuated by said power element and adapted to shift said latchinmember, to switch releasing position, sai latching member being adapt--ed to relatch said swltch upon movement of the switch button in theother direction.

2. The combination with an electric switch having a shift button, ofmeans controlling said switch to provide a delayed action there of uponmovement of the shift button in one direction, said means comprising amemberlatching said switch, a coil spring having a connection with saidshift button whereby a said spring will be stressed upon movement of thebutton in one direction, a longitudinally shiftable member carrying saidspring and adapted to be shifted thereby, a pawl carried by saidshiftable member, and an escapement governed gear wheel actuated by saidpawl and adapted upon a predetermined rotation thereof to trip saidlatching member, said latching member being adapted to relatch saidswitch upon movement of the shift button in the other direction.

3. An electric switch comprising a shift button, a circuit controlleractuable by and having a yielding connection with said button, a latchmember for holding the controller against movement upon shifting of thebutton in one direction, means for tripping the latch member, and meansfor driving said trippin means having a moving force established y theshifting of the shift button, said shift button directly actuating thecircuit controller upon movement thereof in the opposite direction. 4.An electric switch comprisin a shift button, a circuit interrupteractuab e by and ton, a latch member' forgholding the interrupter againstmovement, a gear wheel having-trip pins for tripping said latch member,a shiftable member carryinga pawl engaging the teeth of the gear wheel,a spring normally unstressed engagingthe shiftable member, and aconnection between said spr'ng and the shift button where the same wilbe stressed upon movement of t e shift button to 011' position.

a shift 5. An electric switch comprisin button, a circuit interrupteractuab e b and rupter against movement, a gear wheel having trip ins fortripping said latch member, an endwlse shiftable member carrying a pawlengaging the teeth of the gear wheel, a coil spring normally unstressedcarried by the shiftable member, a connection between said spring andthe shift button whereb the same will be stressed by a movemento theshift button to off position, and means for governin the speed ofrotation of the gear wheel 6. An electric switch comprising a shiftbutton, a circuit controller'actuable by and having a yieldingconnection with said button, a latch member holding the controlleragainst movement upon shifting of the button in one direction, a tripmember adapted to trip said latchmember, means actuated by said movementof the shift button to operate the trip member, and means controllingthe operation of said last named means under a delayed action, saidshift button directly actuating the circuit controller upon movementthereof in the opposite direction.

7. An electric switch comprising a shift button, a circuit controlleractuable by and having a yielding connection with said button, alatch-member holding the controller against movement upon shifting ofthe button in one direction, a trip member adapted to trip said latchmember, and a spring actuated by said movement of the shift button 7 foroperating the trip member undera delayed action to release said latchmember, said shift button directly actuating the circuit controller uponmovement thereof in the opposite direction.

8. An electric switch comprising a shift button, a circuit controlleractuable by and having a yielding connection with said button, a latchmember holding the controller against movement upon shifting of thebutton in one direction, and means actuated by said movement of theshift button to release the latch member in predetermined tim relationto said movement of the shift button, said shift button directlyactuating the controller upon movement thereof in the oppositedirection. I

9. An electric switch comprising a shift button, a circuit controlleractuable by and having a yielding connection with said button, a latchmember holding the controller against movement upon shifting of thebutton in one direction, means actuated by said movement of the shiftbutton to release the latch member, and means controlling the operationof said last named means under a delayed action, said shift buttondirectly actuating the controller upon movement thereof in the oppositedirection.

electric switch having a shift button, a circuit co roller actuable byand having a yielding connection with said button, a latch memberholding the controller against movement upon shifting of the button inone direction, a spring, a member shifted by movement of said button toenergize said spring and adapted to release said latch member under theaction of said spring, and means governing the action of said spring intimed relation to the shifting of the shift member, said switch buttondirectly actuating said circuit controller upon movement thereof in theopposite direction.

11. An electric switch having a shift button, a circuit controlleractuable by and having a yielding connection with said button, a latchmember holding said controller against movement upon shifting of thebutton in one direction, a shiftable member having connection with saidshift button, and means energized by shifting of the shiftable member torelease said latch member under a delayed action, said switch buttondirectly actuating said circuit controller upon movement thereof in theopposite direction. V

12. An electric switch having a shift button, a circuit controlleractuable by and having a yielding connection with said button, a latchmember holding said controller against movement upon shifting ofCthebutton in one direction, a spring, a member shifted .by movement of thebutton to energize said spring, means driven by said spring to releasesaid latching means, and means retarding the releasing means under adelayed action, said switch button directly actuating said circuitcontroller upon movement thereof in the op posite direction.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANK O. KUHN.

